Nib for gold pen-points



: pens.

Patented May 2, 1933 UNITED STATESJPVATENTY orifice f xonr K. LEDIG, or NEW JERS Y, AssIeNoEro AMERICAN mrrn'um v woaxs, or NEWARK, NEW JERSEY, A conroaa'rronor NEW JERSEY m3 FOR GOLD r n-rom'rs No Drawing.

other of the metals of the platinum group,

(platinum, palladium, iridium, rhodium,

ruthenium, osmium) with base metals such as tungsten, tantalum, molybdenum, nickel, co-

fused with the metal of the nib, so that an balt and other suitable metals. p

Nibs of the class described are usually made from a metalor an alloy which oxidizes rather easily and which has'a meltingpointconsiderably higher than the metal of the pen point to which it is secured, and in practice great difliculty is experiencedin causing complete union of the nib to the pen point during the sweating operation.

In practice it has'been found that about 20 out of every 100 gold pens must be discarded because the nibs are not properly united thereto. Obviously such a percentage of loss merits serious consideration, as it materially increases the cost of manufacturing gold This loss is largely due tothe fact that when heat is applied to the nib during the sweating operation, it becomes oxidized so that the desired union between the nib and pen point is not obtained. a

The object of the inventon is to rovide a method of treating nibs to enable t em to be more effectively and expeditiously soldered or otherwisesecured to the tips of the gold pen points than has been heretofore possible. This and other objects are accomplished by the novel combination and blendingof certain rare or noble metals ashereinafter described and later claimed.

In practicing my inventionthe nibs are first plated with a suitable metal, it having been found that very satisfactory results are obtained by plating the nibs first with gold, then on top of the gold plate placing a light silver plate.

After the nibs have been so plated, they are cleaned in any suitable manner, preferably by washing them in distilled waterfafter which they are placedin an electric furnace in proximity to a suitable reducing a ent, such as charcoal and the temperature 0 the Application filed March .30, 1929. Serial 1T0. 351,464.

furnace is raised to approximately-750 degrees C. or at other temperatures depending upon the plating material employed, the temperature of the furnace being below the melting temperatures of the metals used.

The nibs are allowed to remain in the furnace forapproximately twenty minutes until the metallic plate has beenthoroughly difeifective alloy is produced.

While in the electric furnace under heat, the nibs are protected from oxidation by the reducing agent, the latter also serving to destroy any minute coatings of oxides-which may be upon the surfaces of the nibs.

It should be noted that other reducing' means besides charcoal and the electric furnace may be employed; for example, a diffusion of the plate into the metal of the nib may be accomplished by heating them in hydrogen gas. If plated nibs are already free from oxide when placed into the furnace a diffusion of goldand silver plate into the metal of the nib maybe accomplished in a vacuum, or ,in any inert gas, the essential point being the prevention of oxidation during the heating process.

After a nib has been subjected to heat treatment as set forth above, the gold and silver plates have'become diffused with the metal of the nib, the surface of which is now free from oxides and not readily oxidized when heat is thereafter applied. Consequently,

when the nib is sweated to a gold pen, no

oxides are formed .and its surface remains clean so that a positive union between the pen and the nib is obtained.

From the above description 1t will be seen that I have provided an eflective method of treating nibs for gold pens so thatsuch nibs maybe positively united to gold pens thus eliminating the large waste heretofore common in the manufacture of such gold pens.

- Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure'by Letter Patent, is:

p l. A method of treating a nib for a go" pen comprising plating the nib with gold and silver, then heating the plated nib in a furnace containing a reducing material at a tem perature below the melting points of the metals used.

2. A method of treating nibs for gold pens, consisting of plating the nib with gold and 5 silver, then heating the nib to approximately 750 degreesC. to cause the diffusing of the gold and silver plates With the metal of the nib, the heating being carried on in the presence of a reducing agent to remove and pre- 'vent the formation of oxides.

This specification signed this 27th day of March, 1929. l V

KURT K; LEDIG. 

